John Glenn: Keep U.S. space shuttle flying

By Marcia Dunn, associated PressCAPE CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, USA — Mercury astronaut John Glenn, now 88, wants to NASA space shuttle to keep flying until their replacement is ready.Glenn joined the debate Monday on the future of America national in area and became the latest ex-astronaut to speak on this matter. He released a statement by the nine parties, in which he questioned the decision to retire the shuttle fleet and to be able to rely on Russia to take astronauts to the international space station. "We have a vehicle, why throw away? This works well, "the first American to orbit the Earth, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press," said he. Glenn is against paying the Russians 55.8 million USD for a person to fly U.S. astronauts to the space station and back. This is the price of a ticket starting in 2013; Right now, is for the valuation of US $ 26.3 million NASA and will jump to $ 51 million next year.Glenn does not believe the public realizes what happens to the forward area. "Turning to Russia and, as a result, under the control of Russia to our space program just doesn't sit right with me, and I don't think there are also people, American or not, either, "said Glenn, a former senator who ran a shuttle in orbit in 1998 at the age of 77. It included 89 next month.Glenn said, little, if any, money will be saved by cancelling the program Transfer from the airport, taking into account all the millions of dollars going to Russia to rocket races. Shuttle at least two flights a year to keep the station going and force work employed until something new comes along, he said.Astronaut wonders what happens if there is an accident and Soyuz rockets are grounded. He supposes space station — an investment of 100 billion dollars--would have to be abandoned. He also bezstresowej scientific research at the station will take a hit if the experiments must be run from Russia and have no way of getting back to Earth in bulk.President George w. Bush made the decision to retire, shuttle services and retarget the Moon six years ago in the wake of the Columbia tragedy. President Barack Obama keeps closing the transfer from the airport, you kill effort the Moon only two shuttle missions remain on the composition of the Official; the second almost certainly will be delayed until early next year. NASA is hoping the White House will add an additional ticket next summer before the end of the 30-year shuttle program.Glenn Democratic support Obama's plan, announced earlier this year on the space station by going to the year 2020 and give up on the basis of the moon now. But the original Mercury 7 astronauts, "said the nation needs a rocketship capable of lifting heavy loads — whether it is part of NASA'S Constellation program or something else — if astronauts ever to achieve asteroids and Mars. Private companies, in the meantime, interested in the performance of astronauts back to the space station and the need to first prove their ability and niezawodnoscGlenn noted. "I'm very often this momentum to the placing on the market," he said.Glenn said he waited it public, because he thought, "people would see the wisdom of" preserve the continuity of a shuttle. "If we're going to do anything, it must be done fairly quickly," he said.Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.

U.S.-Russian crew blasts to space station

By Peter Leonard, PressBAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — two Us Astronauts and a Russian Wigura issue, successfully Wednesday with the mission to the international space station, which will see the last ever swing visits with the orbiting Mir space laboratory.Astronauts U.S. Douglas Wheelock and Shannon Walker and Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin drawn in the Russian Soyuz rocket, its Pobudzacze incendiary Starry sky over Central Asia making steppe. Their Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft is set to reach stations Friday The trio will be on board the space station to see the final Shuttle — Endeavour — to depart from its last planned mission to the laboratory in November before the fleet is finally withdrew.Wheelock said he was saddened to see shuttle Go, but described his mission as an exciting new beginning. "Of course, is the change in our program ... but not always bad, is to change the "Wheelock, who takes over as Commander of the 25 Expedition as only the current crew returns to Earth in approximately three months, said the draft Conference news.From the airport szczekowych Venerable Soyuz will take over as the only means through which astronauts will be able to travel to the space station, which has raised some concerns about over-reliance on craft designed Soviet. Crowd astronauts relatives, space officials and others gasped in awe as they watched the rocket slowly dissapearing on distanceleaving ghostly white cloud. Broke into applause at the announcement of successful entry into orbit craft nine minutes after launch. "This was probably one of the more beautiful runs ever seen, "said NASA Spokesman Josh Byerly. shortly after the people at home Saw glittering dot space station quickly moving overhead in a rare coincidence.On Wednesday the rocket marked a landmark landmark, is the hundredth flight in the station.Wheelock said their mission will be the first to take full advantage of the capacity of the station as the orbiting Mir space lab. He said he was especially enthralled by your contribution to the engineering of new materials and its role in ensuring that the achievements in the field of medicine. "We are finally getting to the point when we use the international space station for its original purpose and that is that science and research, "Byerly said after the run.Wheelock, Colonel United States Army, returns to the space station for the first time since his club two weeks on the discovery at the end of 2007, when he and his colleagues, earned accolades for their work repairing facility energy generation.Walker is making her first trip to the space station, and thus the in the footsteps of her husband, Andrew Thomas, one of a handful of U.S. astronauts to live on board the Russian Mir station, the old in the 1990s.Like the other starts from the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased Russian in southern Kazakhstan, their mission had verified the routine.After installation of Poland for their pressure suits just passed to the North, the crew received the final message of encouragement from officials, including the head of the Russian space agency.In the final salute before mounting the bus to the console is to launching a group of well-wishers were welcomed by Walker with the letters spelling out "Go Shannon!"Before the bus engines, Yurchikhin by young daughter, Yelena, were held aloft and kissed her father through the glass.In the console the astronauts satellite, closely linked to their seats in the rocket some two hours before the start, when their families and colleagues waited anxiously on the platform to display a little more than one kilometre from the hotel.Against the background of the steppe, starkly dim light on the gantry up rocket Soyuz shimmered on the «known as Gagarin's Pad. Is the site from which the SOVIET UNION sent Yuri Gagarin in 1961, in addition to become the first man in space.Within one hour prior to the launch of regular updates on the final preparations crackled with speakers platform view.When it came time, rocket roared to life and not touching the ground before gradually lifted off to heaven wywracania, dramatically moving shadow sky white phosphorous.Three person crew include the Russian commander Alexander Skvortskov, a NASA flight engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Russian Mikhail Kornienko, who on the orbiting Mir space laboratory since April. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.

John Glenn: Keep U.S. space shuttle flying

By Marcia Dunn, associated PressCAPE CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, USA — Mercury astronaut John Glenn, now 88, wants to NASA space shuttle to keep flying until their replacement is ready.Glenn joined the debate Monday on the future of America national in area and became the latest ex-astronaut to speak on this matter. He released a statement by the nine parties, in which he questioned the decision to retire the shuttle fleet and to be able to rely on Russia to take astronauts to the international space station. "We have a vehicle, why throw away? This works well, "the first American to orbit the Earth, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press," said he. Glenn is against paying the Russians 55.8 million USD for a person to fly U.S. astronauts to the space station and back. This is the price of a ticket starting in 2013; Right now, is for the valuation of US $ 26.3 million NASA and will jump to $ 51 million next year.Glenn does not believe the public realizes what happens to the forward area. "Turning to Russia and, as a result, under the control of Russia to our space program just doesn't sit right with me, and I don't think there are also people, American or not, either, "said Glenn, a former senator who ran a shuttle in orbit in 1998 at the age of 77. It included 89 next month.Glenn said, little, if any, money will be saved by cancelling the program Transfer from the airport, taking into account all the millions of dollars going to Russia to rocket races. Shuttle at least two flights a year to keep the station going and force work employed until something new comes along, he said.Astronaut wonders what happens if there is an accident and Soyuz rockets are grounded. He supposes space station — an investment of 100 billion dollars--would have to be abandoned. He also bezstresowej scientific research at the station will take a hit if the experiments must be run from Russia and have no way of getting back to Earth in bulk.President George w. Bush made the decision to retire, shuttle services and retarget the Moon six years ago in the wake of the Columbia tragedy. President Barack Obama keeps closing the transfer from the airport, you kill effort the Moon only two shuttle missions remain on the composition of the Official; the second almost certainly will be delayed until early next year. NASA is hoping the White House will add an additional ticket next summer before the end of the 30-year shuttle program.Glenn Democratic support Obama's plan, announced earlier this year on the space station by going to the year 2020 and give up on the basis of the moon now. But the original Mercury 7 astronauts, "said the nation needs a rocketship capable of lifting heavy loads — whether it is part of NASA'S Constellation program or something else — if astronauts ever to achieve asteroids and Mars. Private companies, in the meantime, interested in the performance of astronauts back to the space station and the need to first prove their ability and niezawodnoscGlenn noted. "I'm very often this momentum to the placing on the market," he said.Glenn said he waited it public, because he thought, "people would see the wisdom of" preserve the continuity of a shuttle. "If we're going to do anything, it must be done fairly quickly," he said.Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.

U.S.-Russian crew blasts to space station

By Peter Leonard, PressBAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — two Us Astronauts and a Russian Wigura issue, successfully Wednesday with the mission to the international space station, which will see the last ever swing visits with the orbiting Mir space laboratory.Astronauts U.S. Douglas Wheelock and Shannon Walker and Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin drawn in the Russian Soyuz rocket, its Pobudzacze incendiary Starry sky over Central Asia making steppe. Their Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft is set to reach stations Friday The trio will be on board the space station to see the final Shuttle — Endeavour — to depart from its last planned mission to the laboratory in November before the fleet is finally withdrew.Wheelock said he was saddened to see shuttle Go, but described his mission as an exciting new beginning. "Of course, is the change in our program ... but not always bad, is to change the "Wheelock, who takes over as Commander of the 25 Expedition as only the current crew returns to Earth in approximately three months, said the draft Conference news.From the airport szczekowych Venerable Soyuz will take over as the only means through which astronauts will be able to travel to the space station, which has raised some concerns about over-reliance on craft designed Soviet. Crowd astronauts relatives, space officials and others gasped in awe as they watched the rocket slowly dissapearing on distanceleaving ghostly white cloud. Broke into applause at the announcement of successful entry into orbit craft nine minutes after launch. "This was probably one of the more beautiful runs ever seen, "said NASA Spokesman Josh Byerly. shortly after the people at home Saw glittering dot space station quickly moving overhead in a rare coincidence.On Wednesday the rocket marked a landmark landmark, is the hundredth flight in the station.Wheelock said their mission will be the first to take full advantage of the capacity of the station as the orbiting Mir space lab. He said he was especially enthralled by your contribution to the engineering of new materials and its role in ensuring that the achievements in the field of medicine. "We are finally getting to the point when we use the international space station for its original purpose and that is that science and research, "Byerly said after the run.Wheelock, Colonel United States Army, returns to the space station for the first time since his club two weeks on the discovery at the end of 2007, when he and his colleagues, earned accolades for their work repairing facility energy generation.Walker is making her first trip to the space station, and thus the in the footsteps of her husband, Andrew Thomas, one of a handful of U.S. astronauts to live on board the Russian Mir station, the old in the 1990s.Like the other starts from the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased Russian in southern Kazakhstan, their mission had verified the routine.After installation of Poland for their pressure suits just passed to the North, the crew received the final message of encouragement from officials, including the head of the Russian space agency.In the final salute before mounting the bus to the console is to launching a group of well-wishers were welcomed by Walker with the letters spelling out "Go Shannon!"Before the bus engines, Yurchikhin by young daughter, Yelena, were held aloft and kissed her father through the glass.In the console the astronauts satellite, closely linked to their seats in the rocket some two hours before the start, when their families and colleagues waited anxiously on the platform to display a little more than one kilometre from the hotel.Against the background of the steppe, starkly dim light on the gantry up rocket Soyuz shimmered on the «known as Gagarin's Pad. Is the site from which the SOVIET UNION sent Yuri Gagarin in 1961, in addition to become the first man in space.Within one hour prior to the launch of regular updates on the final preparations crackled with speakers platform view.When it came time, rocket roared to life and not touching the ground before gradually lifted off to heaven wywracania, dramatically moving shadow sky white phosphorous.Three person crew include the Russian commander Alexander Skvortskov, a NASA flight engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Russian Mikhail Kornienko, who on the orbiting Mir space laboratory since April. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.